Objective
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often co-occur and share genetic risks. The aim of this analysis was to determine more broadly whether ADHD and ASD share biological underpinnings.
Method
We compared copy number variant (CNV) data from 727 children with ADHD and 5,081 population controls to data from 996 individuals with ASD and an independent set of 1,287 controls. Using pathway analyses, we investigated whether CNVs observed in individuals with ADHD have an impact on genes in the same biological pathways as on those observed in individuals with ASD.
Results
The results suggest that the biological pathways affected by CNVs in ADHD overlap with those affected by CNVs in ASD more than would be expected by chance. Moreover, this was true even when specific CNV regions common to both disorders were excluded from the analysis. After correction for multiple testing, genes involved in 3 biological processes (nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signalling pathway, cell division, and response to drug) showed significant enrichment for case CNV hits in the combined ADHD and ASD sample.
Conclusion
The results of this study indicate the presence of significant overlap of shared biological processes disrupted by large rare CNVs in children with these 2 neurodevelopmental conditions.

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dc.description.sponsorship

This work has been supported by the Medical Research Council (UK),
Baily Thomas Charitable Trust, the Wellcome Trust and Action
Research, the University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre, the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research, and Genome Canada.